Missing Girlfriends

Someone recently asked me what I missed the most while living in Africa. I quickly responded, without even needing to think, “my girlfriends!” I left behind a few incredible groups of girlfriends. Due to a very demanding job, along with various other chores (shopping, laundry, cooking, etc.) that take longer here than in the States, I have been too overwhelmed and tired to try to build those type of friendships again. Of all things I look most forward to when going back to the States, it is my girlfriends.

These words ramble around in my head when I think of my girlie girls: salads with cilantro, backrooms, chocolate, Target runs, long phone calls, lots of tears, Choxie, cross country flights, antique shopping, Ben and Jerry’s, scrapbooking together, new babies, tons of laughter, Hardee's breakfast, cleaning each other’s houses, Children’s Place sales, lime Tostitoes, white shirt/black pants uniform, Yankee candles, Las Vegas, electric toothbrushes, DDP, Croptoberfest, reuben sandwiches, long conversations, pb&j, music, sewing, trips to LaFayette, dancing on the bed, Chef’s, doctor appts, new houses, and so much more!


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But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one's deepest as well as one's most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely. Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859